Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1887-05-05
THE MOCKING BIRD.
The Poetry Of His Song and His
Movements.
How He So Slips Upward" from Twlg t.
Twlg-His Enemy, tho Disc0rdant
CrOw-HIs Song Not Stolen
from Others.

The mocking- birds movements, ex.
ecepting in flight, are the perfection OF
grace; not even the cat-bird can rival
him in airy lightness, in easy elegance
of motion. In alighting on fence, he
does not merely come down upon it; his
manner is fairly poetical. He flies a lit
tie too high, drops like feather, touch
-es the perch lightly with his feet, bal
-ances and losses upward his tail.
often quickly running over the tips Of
half dozen pickets before he rests.
Passing across the yard, he turns not
to avoid a taller tree or shrub, nor
does he go through it; he simply bounds
over. almost touching it, as if for pure
sport. In the matter of bounds the
mocker is without peer. The up
ward spring while singing is an ecstatic
action, that must be seen to be
appreciated; he rises into the air as
though too happy to remain on earth,
and. opening his wings. floats down,
singing all the while. 1t is indescriba-
bic, but enchanting to see. In court
ship, too, as related, he makes effective
use of this exquisite movement. In
simple food-hunting on the ground-a
most prosaic occupation truly-on APP
preaching hammock of grass he
bounds over it instead of going around.
In alighting on a tree he does not
pounce upon the twig he has selected.
but upon a lower one, and passes
quickly up through the branches, as
1.-the rs a serpent. So fond is he of
this exercise that one which watched
amused himself half an hour ut time
in a pile of brush; starting from the
ground. slipping easily through up to
the top, standing there moment, then
flying back and repeating the perform
ance. Should the goal of his journey
be a fence picket, he alights on the
beam which supports it, and hops
gracefully to the top.
The mockingbird can not be said to
possess gentle disposition. especially
during the time of nesting. He does
not seem malicious, but rather mis-
-chievous. and his actions resemble the
naughty though not wicked pranks of
an active child. At that time he does.
it must be admitted. lay claim to a
rather large territory. considering his
size, and enforces his rights with
many a hot chase and noisy dispute. as
remarked above. Any mocking-bird
who dares to tlirt feather over the
border of the ground he chooses
to consider his own has to battle
with him. A quarrel is a curious
operation, usually chase. and the
war-cry is SO peculiar and apparently
so incongruous that it is fairly laugha-
BILE. 1t is rough breathing, like the
"'huf'' of an angry cat, and s. serious
dispute between the birds reminds one
of nothing but disagreement in the
feline family. If the stranger does not
take the hint, and retire at the first huff,
he is chased, over and under trees and
through branches. so violently that
leaves rustic and twigs are thrust aside.
as long as the patience or wind holds
out. On one occasion the defender of
his homestead kept up lively singing
all through the furious fight, which
lasted six or eight minutes-a remark
able thing.
To others than his own kind the
mocker seems usually Indifferent, with
the single exception of the crow. So
long as this bird kept over the salt
marsh. or flew quite high. or even held
his mouth shut, he was not noticed;
but let him fly low over the lawn. and
above all let him "caw." and the hot
headed owner of the place was upon
him. He did not seem to have any
special plan of attack. like the king
bird or the oriole; his aim appeared to
be merely to worry the enemy, and in
this he was untiring. flying madly and |
without pause around a perching crow
until he took flight and then attempt
ing to rise above him. In this he was |
not always successful, not being par
ticularly expert on the wing. though
have two or three times seen the |
smaller bird actually rest on the back
of the foe for three or four seconds at a |
time.
The song of the free mocking-bird! |
With it ringing in my ear at this mo-
ment, after having Toasted upon it and |
gloried IN it day and night for many |
weeks, how can l criticlse it! How
can do otherwise than fall into rhap-
sody. as does almost every one who |